Portugal, Multi-Region – Small Group Food Tour

Sintra

Meet in the hotel lobby at 8.30am for your day trip to Sintra. This is just 30km from Lisbon, but the temperate climate is very different from that of the city and ensures permanent freshness and luxuriant vegetation.

Explore the vibrant culture, cobbled streets, and old-world architecture. Wander through the spectacular and colorful painted Pena Palace, perched high on a hilltop, with its grand gardens. See the 16th-century Jeronimo’s Monastery (UNESCO), the Discoveries Monument honoring intrepid Portuguese explorers and their patrons, and the impressive Belem Tower.

Eventually find your way to a local patisserie where you can taste a traditional Piriquita, which is a small sweet puff pastry filled with custard. Later in the tour today, enjoy a demonstration and tasting of the famous Pastéis de Belém or milk tart, which is made from a secret recipe.

Overnight Lisbon

Meals B, T(Pastel de Belém), T(Piriquita)

Obidos & Nazare, Train to Porto

Meet in the hotel lobby at 9am. After a quick ride, our day begins in the medieval walled town of Obidos, most noted for its whitewashed houses. Visit handicraft stores, bookstores, and be sure to sample ‘ginja’. This is a liqueur made by infusing sour cherry in brandy and adding sugar to create a potent yet enjoyable aperitif. A classic Portuguese drink.

Our lunchtime will be at the picturesque fishing village of Nazaré. It is an excellent opportunity to taste the grilled fish and rice seafood.

Nazaré is famous for its women who wear skirts with seven petticoats. The women would sit on the beach waiting for their fishermen to sail home.

In 2011, Garret McNamara (surfer) changed the history of Nazaré when he was towed into a 78-foot monster swell off the coast. At the time, it was the biggest wave ever ridden! Some of the best surfers move to the Portuguese coast every winter to hone their craft on the massive coastal waves in the region.

Today Nazaré is the most famous fishing village in Portugal. It was always drawn visitors to its beach and colorful lifestyle.

Later in the day we will take the train to Porto.

Overnight Porto

Meals B

Porto

Meet in the hotel lobby at 9.30am for a morning walking tour of the city. Elected Best European Destination 2012 by the European citizens, Porto is a wonderful mix of history, architecture, culture, gastronomy and trade.

You’ll visit the city’s historical center taking in world heritage building and historic monuments. See the Clerigos Tower, Livraria Lello e Irmão, Avenida dos Aliados, Estação de S. Bento (train station), Bairro da Sé, Ponte Luís I and Ribeira.

We will then visit a local olive oil artisan and learn a few secrets about the production of olive oil in Portugal. Taste three olive oils together with some other local products such cheese, sausage, ham, wine, and bread.

Following the tasting we will cross the Douro River and visit a Port
Wine Cellar for an introduction and tasting of what makes Porto world famous.

Overnight Porto

Meals B, T(Olive Oil & local produce), T(Port)

Arcos De Valdevez

Check-out of your hotel until anytime up until 11am, enjoying a free morning in Porto. Meet at 11.30am for an excursion to a sardine cannery. We will tour the factory and learn about the sardine industry in Portugal, from fisheries and canning, through to marketing and distribution. Don’t worry – the smell
is not as strong as you might think! Finish the tour with a delightful tasting of sardines, fresh bread, and of course Portuguese wine.

This afternoon we get out of the city explore remote villages, authentic cultural heritage, and some of the greenest landscapes in the country. We make our way to the heart of the Minho province and the door of the Peneda-Geres
National Park, where you will be surrounded by stunning mountains and forests.

During the journey, we might come across garrano, or wild ponies. These wild animals have been native to the region since the Celtic era during the first millennium B.C. The Portuguese government began to rebuild the herds in the 1940s in what is now the national park.

Dinner will be at our overnight hotel where you can help Chef Vasco prepare dinner with a hands-on cooking class. He works hard to incorporate the slow food concept, with the goal of promoting local, small producers. The cooking classes will focus on seasonal produce and will be held in the Chef’s kitchen.
Dinner will comprise the dishes prepared during the cooking class and complemented with local wines.

Overnight Arcos de Valdevez

Meals B, T(Sardines), D(Cooking Class)

Arcos De Valdevez

Visit a local vineyard and their winery to learn more about the Vinho Verde (green wine) made in the Minho region. The visit will conclude with a tasting to help you understand the wines. Look out for the ‘frizzante’ style of these wines which makes them very refreshing and enjoyable.

For lunch we will venture into the countryside to enjoy a lovely picnic surrounded by nature.

Dinner will be at the rural hotel. Again you are invited to assist Chef Vasco in the preparation of dinner, where he will teach you how to prepare the dishes for this evening. At the end of the cooking class, dinner will be served in the nearby dining room together with local wines.

Overnight Arcos de Valdevez

Meals B, T(Wines), L, D(Cooking Class)

Arcos De Valdevez & Braga

This morning Chef Vasco teaches us the secrets of the region’s traditional bread, in a hands-on cooking class. This particular type of bread uses several kinds of corn, and a locally grown wheat. It is known as ‘broa de milho’ or Minho cornbread. This cob shaped loaf is golden in colour and a little sweet to taste. Lunch will follow your class and comprise of the bread you made with other local products.

In the afternoon, we take a short journey to the nearby Braga. Here we take a guided walking tour of the historic town most famed for its religious connections from ancient to modern day. Thousand year old churches and the UNESCO listed Bom Jesus Sanctuary, with its monumental zig zag staircase are highlights.

Overnight Braga

Meals B, L(Cooking Class)

Farewell & Departure

Your tour concludes after breakfast this morning with a transfer to Porto.

Meals B